Module 1- How To Create A Killer Upwork Profile

Your Upwork profile is one of the most important things you should tackle. It is the spot for showing off your skill and enticing your client. Your profile tells your client who you are, what your skill is and how you can be of help to them.

The first step to creating a killer Upwork profile is choosing your niche/skill. What service will you offer?

How To Choose a Freelancing Niche/Skill That Clients Will Pay For

One of the biggest problems most freelancers face is selecting a niche or finding a skill which they could get paid for. Most freelancers believe they must be an expert or must have worked for ten years in industry before they could get a client.

The first job I got on Upwork didn’t require me to be an expert. In fact, I had no skills or knowledge of WordPress before signing up to the platform.

If you feel you have no particular skill which clients will pay you for, I want you to take a step back and ask yourself this one question; ‘what is it I enjoy doing?’

Maybe you enjoy taking care of kids, writing, taking pictures, or cooking. Perhaps you have worn different hair weaves, and you can tell one type of texture from the other with your eyes closed.

Grab a piece of paper and write down a list of things which you love doing or which you have experience in–you can always use this as a skill.

If you are blogger seeking to earn an income, you could focus on writing. A blogger who blogs on animals could offer blog posts writing, in depth reviews and articles on animals/animal products.

You do not have to be an expert to earn money on Upwork. You, however, have to be interested in a client’s project. My first job on Upwork came as a result of my genuine interest in my client’s nail project.

Would you hire a copywriter who only flaunts his credentials or one who shows genuine care about taking your project to the next level?

At this point, if you still feel you have no solid skill to leverage on Upwork, you should take a look at the categories of jobs clients search for on Upwork. There are over 100 job categories listed on the site.

You no longer have to worry about finding a skill, all you have to do is choose one which you can see yourself doing– it’s that easy.

How To Create A Killer Upwork Profile In Easy Steps

When you walk into an office for the first time and get greeted by a receptionist who looks tacky, what will be your impression? You’d probably think the company is no good right?

That’s how it is with Upwork!

Your Upwork Profile is like a receptionist office where you get a chance of showcasing what you can do.

I have come across a lot of tacky profiles that just didn’t cut it for me. There are millions of freelancers on Upwork, why should you get hired? Why should you get picked? If you are a blog writer, why should you get picked over other blog writers?

Four Parts of an Amazing Upwork Profile

There are four parts of an Upwork Profile that clients look at before hiring you

Your title

Your photo

Your profile content

Your portfolio

How To Write An Upwork Profile Title That Wins

Your title is the first thing your clients see when they come across your profile. A well-written title will make you more visible in search results.

A lot of freelancers make the mistake of choosing a title that is too generic and boring. Please, don’t be those freelancers.

We all know you are a graphic designer, don’t go on Upwork writing that as a title. For one, you would not stand out from other freelancers who decided to use the phrase “graphics designer” as a title and secondly, it is boring.

A good profile title should have an adjective and also talk about what you do. So, rather than say graphics designer, you could say;

“Experienced Graphics Designer”“Creating Logos That Will Set You Apart FROM Your Competition”

While the first example uses an adjective, the second one goes further to explain what you do and how you can help your clients. If you are a writer, what do you write? Do you write about toys, books, social media or something else?

Whatsoever you are writing on, make it known in your title.

Your Upwork Profile Photo

Take it or leave it, your Upwork profile photo can make or break you. Having a good profile picture makes you look more professional and smarter than other clients.

The first impression counts and people will judge you based on your appearance before they get the chance to know you. According to the official Upwork blog, clients look at profile photos to get a sense of who you are…and if they don’t see a picture that conveys friendliness and professionalism, you may get overlooked.

Some tips to have in mind when choosing or to take a profile picture for your business are;

Take a picture in a well-lighted environment and ensure your facial features can be seen. Nothing is exciting about a dark, blurry photo

Have a personality and smile. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I am more attracted to people who smile; there’s something so warm and inviting about them. Photofeeler a tool that lets you get feedback from your profile picture, compared 60,000 photo ratings and came to the conclusion that people who smiled with their teeth showing appeared more competent than does who did not smile.

Dress decently. You do not need to wear a suit and a tie before you meet this criterion. Your principal aim should be to wear something decent and professional. Profile photos are mostly headshots, and a well-ironed shirt will do the trick.

Creating A Professional Profile Overview

Your profile content or profile summary matters a lot. How you present your skills is important. Your profile overview is a spot to show your skills and tell your clients exactly what you can do for them.

The first time I got into Upwork, my profile overview was all about me. Here is what I wrote;

“….I am a writer with over two years experience.I have written for XXXX and XXXX…..I can write engaging content for your audience… I am highly efficient and organized.”

There were so much “I’s” in my overview as if I were going to hire myself.

If this is your first time using Upwork, you can keep things simple and go back to expand it later. One thing you should have in mind is this; you are not to use your profile to toot your horn. Use your profile to show your client exactly what you can do for them. Why should they hire you? What skills do you have that could be beneficial to them?

An example of a suitable profile overview is this

A special tip is to try making your profile overview personal. Write it in a conversational tone like you are talking to the clients.

Coming Up With A Portfolio

If you are a blogger, congratulations! You already have a portfolio you could use. Copy a link to a blog post of yours (preferably one that has comments) and put it up in the portfolio segment of Upwork.

If you aren’t a blogger, you can create a free blog on Blogspot (although this doesn’t look professional) write a few posts and get people to comment on it. I keep emphasizing on comments because it serves as social proof. A client will be impressed and willing to work with someone who looks like he/she has it all figured out.

You can easily get comments on your new blog by joining Facebook groups. These Facebook groups have promo threads for promoting your latest posts and getting shares or comments on these posts.

Alternatively, you can write a post in Microsoft Word and upload it to your portfolio. Creating a portfolio isn’t difficult, no matter the skill or service you choose to render, you can always come up with the perfect sample.

Now that your profile title, photo, and portfolio are in place, let’s move over to how you can get your first client.